Reforming Government Bill Introduced

A bill to allow quicker passage of plans to reorganize government has been introduced in the House as a companion to one in the Senate.

As outlined in several recent articles published by FedSmith, the White House has a plan to reorganize and restructure the federal government. These published articles have been careful to note that some of the proposals require Congressional approval.

The Reforming Government Act of 2018

The “Reforming Government Act of 2018” would make it easier to enact the proposals to restructure the federal government as outlined by the White House.

The ‘‘Reforming Government Act of 2018’’ (S 3137) was introduced in June by Senators Ron Johnson (R-WI) and James Lankford (R-OK). The bill would create a legal path for making the changes outlined by the director of the Office of Management and Budget, Mick Mulvaney. The bill introduced by Senator Johnson would make it possible for President Trump to start the process of implementing the government reorganization plan more quickly than would be possible under existing legislation.

House Bill to Complement Reforming Government Act

A companion bill has now been introduced in the House by Jody Hice (R-GA). Congressman Hice is the Vice Chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on Government Operations.

Congressman Hice has introduced (H.R. 6787), which is called the Reforming Government Act. Like the Senate bill, this new legislation would provide President Trump with the authority to submit plans to Congress to reorganize the federal government and enables the Legislative Branch to consider those plans expeditiously.

In a press release released by the Congressman’s office, Hice is quoted as follows:

For decades, the federal government has operated under conditions that would be unacceptable in any other line of work. Bureaucracy is out of control, and efficiency is nearly nonexistent. My bill would unlock a mechanism for the Trump Administration to present plans to restructure our outdated system of federal agencies to Congress. In order to streamline our government and save valuable taxpayer dollars, we must enable a system of good governance focused on results rather than the same burdensome, ineffective approach.

Status of the Senate Bill

Senate Bill 3137 is currently before the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. With the companion bill in the House now before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, it is possible there will be movement in Congress to move these bills forward quickly.

With mid-term elections looming in November, the primary interest of Congress will be ensuring their re-election. If the bill does not move forward quickly and get passed by Congress, which is unlikely, the ultimate fate of these bills may hinge on mid-term election results.

About the Author

Ralph Smith has several decades of experience working with federal human resources issues. He has written extensively on a full range of human resources topics in books and newsletters and is a co-founder of two companies and several newsletters on federal human resources. Follow Ralph on Twitter: @RalphSmith47